Yes, there were some interesting things happening in this short (119 mins) low-budget indie.
The best part is the opening. It is brilliant. This film basically starts where other films end, that is, with the captive in a white-trafficking ring getting free.
That might sound simple but to see it played out is brilliant and astonishing. This reviewer is of the view that many of the insanely positive reviews of this film were because the reviewers were so taken with that opening that they were more forgiving of what comes next.
What comes next is simply standard low-budget indie fare, that is to say, scenes shot in little or no light; weak dialog, weak acting, strange camera angles, the whole 9 yards.
The many flashbacks, shot with "normal" lighting and in a "normal" environment are designed to provide counterpoint to the horror that the protagonist finds herself in. Yet in reality they simply make the viewer pine for better light and more predictable direction.
Other reviewers make a huge fuss about Imlev. In fact she carries the role and works competently with the terrible dialog she is given, but Meryl Streep is not losing sleep over this actress.
Which is not to say that given a proper film with a proper script she may yet be able to shine. She looks and sounds like a young Helen Hunt (a plus) and she can clearly handle physical acting (another plus).
Bottom line: the opening is so clever and so unusual that it colors everything in the movie that follows. However in the cold light of day the rest of the movie is essentially one big letdown.
The best part is the opening. It is brilliant. This film basically starts where other films end, that is, with the captive in a white-trafficking ring getting free.
That might sound simple but to see it played out is brilliant and astonishing. This reviewer is of the view that many of the insanely positive reviews of this film were because the reviewers were so taken with that opening that they were more forgiving of what comes next.
What comes next is simply standard low-budget indie fare, that is to say, scenes shot in little or no light; weak dialog, weak acting, strange camera angles, the whole 9 yards.
The many flashbacks, shot with "normal" lighting and in a "normal" environment are designed to provide counterpoint to the horror that the protagonist finds herself in. Yet in reality they simply make the viewer pine for better light and more predictable direction.
Other reviewers make a huge fuss about Imlev. In fact she carries the role and works competently with the terrible dialog she is given, but Meryl Streep is not losing sleep over this actress.
Which is not to say that given a proper film with a proper script she may yet be able to shine. She looks and sounds like a young Helen Hunt (a plus) and she can clearly handle physical acting (another plus).
Bottom line: the opening is so clever and so unusual that it colors everything in the movie that follows. However in the cold light of day the rest of the movie is essentially one big letdown.